Enrollment in Sheboygan schools increased this year by nearly 150 students.

Enrollment in the Sheboygan Area School District is up this year by nearly 150 students.

District officials this week gave a report of the SASD's third Friday enrollment count, taken on Sept. 18. A total of 10,379 students were present in schools that day.

Districts take enrollment counts twice a year — once in the fall and once again in the spring — to determine figures each year. Enrollment, looked at on a three-year average, is one piece used to figure a district's state aid.

Sheboygan South High School saw a 34-student increase from last year, even with its change to flexible modular scheduling, which revamped the traditional bell schedule.

SASD Coordinator of Assessment Jake Konrath said only one family requested to enroll out of South High because of the new scheduling system. Four or five families listed flex mod as a reason they wanted to transfer in.

"You're never sure, but it was really good to see there weren't a lot of parents looking to get out," Konrath said.

The district also saw increases in its ethnic populations and its number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches.

Just more than 4,500 students identified themselves as being a race other than white, up 170 from last year.

“I think I’ve talked to three people this week who said they purposely chose schools or the district because of the diversity," Konrath said. "So it’s pretty neat to hear parents are appreciating that.”

About 10,380 students, or 52 percent, met certain low-income requirements for qualification into the free and reduced lunch program. That's up slightly from last year, but down from 57 percent two years ago.

Sheboygan families' participation in the state's open enrollment program continues to grow. The program allows families to apply to send their child to a district other than the one in which they live at no cost to the family.

The number of Sheboygan students who have chosen to enroll out of the district has doubled since the 2011-12 school year. This year, 431 students living in the city chose to enroll in a district other than Sheboygan.

Nearly 300 non-residential students chose to enroll into the SASD, up 78 from four years ago.

Convenience has historically played a factor in why families choose to enroll their child in another district, Konrath said. More lax exemption rules and longer enrollment periods imposed by the state as of late may have also contributed.

Overall, no trends can be identified as to why families are leaving the district, Konrath said.

"It's literally different for every kid," he said. "It's really hard to get a grasp on why they're leaving our schools."

Open enrollment numbers are factored into enrollment counts used to figure state aid. The increase in students enrolling out of the district caused the district to lose about $295,000 in revenue, said Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operational Services Mark Boehlke.

However, because the state uses a three-year average of enrollment, the district ended up with a net increase of nearly $149,000, Boehlke said. The district used some of those savings to hire two educational assistants, which officials said were necessary because of increased class sizes at a couple schools.

“That’s one of the hardest scenarios for a district is when your residential enrollment goes down every year," Boehlke said. "So it’s very positive that we added this year, and by quite a bit.”